Improvement in meat-choppers



M. L. EnwAnus & N. A. M0R LAN'. Meat-Choppers.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN L. EDWARDS AND NEWBERRY A. MORLAN, OF SALEM, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN MEATCHOPPERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 157,164, dated November24, 1874; application iiled March 5, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, MARTnv L. EDWARDS and NEWBERRY A. MORLAN, of Salem,in the co'unty of Columbianaand State of Ohio, have jointly inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Meat and Vegetable Choppers, ofwhich the following is a specification:

In this machine, the meat-tub, in which the meat and vegetables are putto be chopped, has an intermittent rotary movement, and thechopping-knife is carried by a vertically-reciprocatin g shaft passingthrough the meat-tub.

A special feature of our invention consists in the combination, with thehopper provided with obliq ue circumferential cogs, a wheel, placedtangentiallywith said hopper, and having eccentrics upon its inner faceand cogs Aupon its circumference, the former to engage with the inclined-cogs to eifect the feed of the hopper, and the latter with intermediatedriving-gear for the knife,whereby the feed of the tub is ellected by acombined cam and cogged wheel standing at a tangent to the hopper, andgearing at different points with the oblique cogs of the'hopper, and theknife-driving gear mounted upon the side of the base. A

vertically-split knife-head is also employed, in combination with aclamp-screw and the knifeshaft, whereby the knife-head is clamped inplace, and can be more readily adjusted and removed when desired.

In the vaccompanying drawings, Figure l represents avertical section ofa machine embracing` our invention; Fig. 2, a view of the curved ribs,showing one of them acting upon the tub-gear to make the feed; Fig. 3, asimilar view, showing the inner side ofthe curved rib acting as a stop4against the teeth of the gear to arrest andhold the tub before the outeracting side of said rib strikes against the cog to make the feed; andFig. 4, a top` gear-wheel, D, a recess, f, in the under side whereofforms an annular shoulder, g, which incloses the segment-seats e, asshown in Fig. 1. The gear D is bolted to the under side of the tub-blockE, and the cogs h of its feedwheel are inclined from a vertical line,for a purpose to be presently described. 'Ihe knives l are carried by anarched head, 2, which lits over the shaft, and the head is split on oneside of the bearing, with each split side formed into an ear, 3, throughwhich a clamp-screw, 4, passes. When the head 2 is placed upon the shaftat the proper height, it is clamped firmly, and may be readily adjustedor removed when desired, the split bearinggears 8 opening and closingupon the shaft as the clamp-screw 4 is turned. The meat-block E has acentral sleeve, F, which projects within the tub and fits over theknife-shaft, the lower portion of which is made ilat, and passes throughan oblong opening, j, in a horizontal bar, Gr, fixed across the innerside of the bedcase, while the lower end of the knife-shaft has ahorizontal oblong opening, l, within which works a wrist-pin, m,provided with a loose, collar on the side of a balance-wheel, H,Whoseshaft has its bearing in a rib, I, cast upon the inner side of thebed-case. This shaft passes through said bed-case, and carries a pinion,J, on its outer end, which matches with a cogwheel, K, on a bearing, n,fixed in the side of the bed-case. Upon a sleeve, n', of this wheel K, asmaller gear-wheel, L, is Xed, which gears with a cog-Wheel, M, mountedupon a bearing-bracket at the top of the bed-case, and this gearingimparts a reciprocating' motion to the knife-shaft through the Wrist-pinconnection. The two lower bearings are further braced by a vertical rib,N, on the inner side ofthe bed-case, and this rib,with the bearingrib I,the knife-shaft bearing, and the tub guide-seat segments e are integralwith the bed. The upper cog M has upon its inner face,

in the example shown, four eccentric ribs, P,

which are placed to take into the inclined cogs h ofthe tub-gear wheelD, to give an intermittent movement to the meat-tub by the bearin gofthe outer side r of one rib at a time against the inclined side of thecog. These four eccentric ribs P correspond in number with thevibrations of the knife-shaft, and are arranged to move the block whilethe knives are elevated, leaving it at rest when they strike upon thesurface, thus preventing any scraping of their cutting-edges or lateralpressure upon the shaft connections or bearings. This stop of themeat-tub is effected by means of the inner side s of each rib catchingover the cog and preventing the momentum of the tub from carrying itforward until the outer side r of said rib, as it turns, comes incontact with the forward cog and moves the tub, the space between theends of these ribs causing the stop end of one to enter between the cogsWhile the acting end of the other rib is leaving the cogs, as shown inFigs. 2 and 3. By' this means the ribs serve to both feed and stop thetub at the proper time. The tub can be turned in either direction withthe same results. The cog-wl1eel K has a crank-handle,

Q, by which to operate the machine; but in machines arranged to be runby power only a bandwheel, R, is placed on the balance-wheel shaft, anda cog-wheel made to engage with the wheel L.

If desirable, thebalance-wheel maybe placed on the outer side of thecase, and a crank on the inner end of the horizontal shaft.

The meat-tub can be easily lifted from its connection with the feed-ribs, as the wheel which carries them stands tangential to the meat-tubgear-wheel.

We claim- 1. In combination with the hopper C, provided with obliquecircumferential cogs D, the Wheel M, having the eccentrics P upon itsinner side and cogs upon its circumference, the former to engage withthe inclined cogs h for imparting an intermittent rotation to thehopper, and the latter with intermediate drivinggear for the knife,substantially as and fo'.` the purpose set forth.

2. The split knife-head 2, in combination with the clamp-screw 4 and theknifeshaft, as and for the purpose stated.

Witnesses:

D. M. CAREY, LUGIEN L. GILBERT.

